Italiani
by Ivori
Summary: Romano is the young new boss and he has to deal with the harsh world of organized crime as well as his skeptical family. He only has the accompaniment of his bodyguard Antonio and brother Feliciano to help him through this sharp change of events.
1. Rain

**Author's Note: So, I've really been wanting to start a mafiatalia fic lately, and I just decided that I'd try it out just for the heck of it. My first draft was awful and I actually never thought I'd get my idea out at all. I'm pretty sure that this one is going to take me a while to work out, the plot is kind of confusing so updates will be sort of slow. I know some parts about the Italian mafia and its workings, I've done some research on wikipedia, but if there are any inaccuracies, as well with any Italian words, phrases or really anything in general, please tell me, I would love to know. Even the name I feel a little uneasy about. On google translate "Italiani" means "Italians" but the same also goes for "Italiano" but I prefer it ending with an I just because I like the sound more... I mean for it to be the word for "Italian Nationality" or an Italian person so I had a hard time figuring out what it was. If I'm wrong PLEASE tell me and I'll change the name of the fic because that's kind of big! This fic will center mostly around Romano (I'll explain some reasonings behind his name in another chapter just because this is a hecka long AN. But I will go to Feli's perspective too and maybe even a bit of Spain... As I said, the plot's kinda jumbled in my head right now so I'm going to have a lot of work with this one... I may or not change this particular chapter in the future, so stay updated ^_^"~**

**Ah yes, and I'd like to note one more thing. In this fic, Romano and Feliciano are twins and are both 20...**

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><p>It was raining the day that the boss died. He was an old geezer and we all knew that it was coming sooner or later. At least he left the world peacefully; that is what I always say. I know that a heart attack isn't the easiest way to go, but considering the ways some of the ways the others went, I'd consider him lucky.<p>

As the boss was lowered into the ground I heard his aging wife begin to weep.

_Pathetic_, I thought. She should have known the inevitable was coming, that death was knocking on their doorstep impatiently. The mournful morticians continued the slow descent of the coffin into the ground, their faces grim with solemnity.

"Romano?" I turned to look at the tall Spaniard next to me. Why I kept someone like this idiot around is far beyond my comprehension. Maybe I felt pity for him.

"What?" I ask coldly. Antonio bent down so he was eye level with me. "You're all sour looking, is something the matter?" he asked softly.

"We're at a funeral, dumbass, if something wasn't the matter I'd consider this to be one fucked up son of a bitch," I retorted calmly, ending the conversation there.

I accidentally locked my gaze with Feliciano, who smiled forlornly at me from across the way. I narrowed my eyes angrily. He could still smile in this situation; he hadn't inherited what I had. Had he been born only a few minutes before me and he'd be in MY position.

There was a dull thud from six feet below. The boss had made it to his final resting place. A priest was muttering something but I wasn't paying attention.

"Romano?" again, Antonio's accented voice rang out through my daze.

I merely glanced at him in vague recognition.

"Are you really okay?" asked the older man. Antonio was twenty-five, five years older than me. But that didn't make too much of a difference to me. He didn't look much older and he certainly didn't act older than me.

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" I breathed, looking straight forward with lazy eyes.

"I dunno, all of this is kind of big, ya know? With the boss dying and you having to-"

I cut him off. I didn't want to hear anymore of his idiotic speech. "I'm fine," I said harshly. "I knew this day would come," I added partially to myself.

The priest had finished his speech and the ceremony drawing to a close.

Feliciano walked up to me. He was in high spirits as usual. It made me sick.

"You do know this is a funeral, right? Dumbass," I grumbled at him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Yes, I do," he smiled at me apologetically. I stared at him in confusion. Sometimes what went on in my brother's head was so incomprehensible that it would be better not to ask.

"It was a pretty ceremony," said Feliciano, small talking towards me. I knew he was avoiding what was really on his mind. "After it stopped raining it became very bright out," he observed.

It was true, the gray skies had eroded to a pleasant, dull blue, and the droplets from the previous shower glistened brightly in the now-present sun, causing the entire cemetery to sparkle with a rainbow colored gleam.

I made no comment to his banter; besides, Antonio was able to compensate for my quietness. He seemed fully engaged in Feliciano's words.

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><p>A man in a casual suit sauntered up to me and nodded curtly. I didn't respond with any sort of greeting, merely glowering at the hole where my grandfather now lay.<p>

"You can handle it, right?" I didn't know who this man beside me was, nor did I care, but he sure as hell pissed me off for bringing up the 'forbidden topic'.

I didn't feel obligated to answer, I ignored his compete existence, even. I muttered a few words to my grandmother as she exited the cemetery, weeping into a handkerchief. She nodded shakily at me, recognizing me for who I now was.

"You've got some big shoes to fill, kid. Your grandfather was a great boss," I couldn't tell if this son of a bitch was complimenting my grandfather or insulting my abilities to compensate for his loss.

"I don't care who the fuck you are, or what the hell you think of me or my family, so get lost, bastard," I answered coldly. My hands were instinctively shoved deep into my pockets, my index finger jumped smoothly in and out of the trigger guard on a small, custom made pistol. It was a nervous habit, especially when I was being asked aggravating questions by a nosy nobody.

The man glowered at me darkly. "You better give a fuck about me. We're not going to serve under you if you don't have what it takes. Your grandfather was a great man, and you will never replace him!" the man looked like he wanted to hit me. He probably would have, had I not been in a position where I could have him killed off of mere whim. I finally looked over at him.

"We?" I grimaced darkly, I didn't like how the man had stated that phrase. He couldn't have been talking about the entire family. That would be crazy.

"What's going on here?" asked Antonio, finally taking notice. I swear, if I were ever in mortal danger, he'd be the last person I would trust to save me. Not that Antonio is untrustworthy, no; he's just too oblivious to realize that something was wrong. He gave the man one of his rare Antonio-style glares. I never took his serious attitude earnestly. He never seemed to get into the this-is-serious-fucking-business kind of mood. He'd level them the occasional glare or austere tone, but he's never been truly harsh in his manner. It's what I liked and disliked about him. It made him a good companion yet a horrible bodyguard.

"Just saying the 'little boss' should think more about his duty," sneered the man.

"Roma will try his best in his new position. You can count on that," this was a first, the glare and the tone all towards one person. I had to hand it to Antonio, I didn't expect that. I glanced up to see Antonio with a defensive look on his face. I smirked inwardly at that protective look on his face, it made him look like a dumbass.

"Yeah!" Feliciano jumped out from behind me and looked fiercely at the man. Did I say fiercely? I meant unthreateningly. "Romano will show you! He'll be the best boss yet!" he defended. I knew he meant well by the comment but the idiot didn't know what he was saying.

In a panic I shoved Feliciano behind me, not wanting him to say anymore. "Idiot, you're setting me up to fail," I snapped, glaring malevolently at him. Feliciano looked confused and hurt. He had only been trying to help but it's because of that kin of attitude that leaves me in a sticky situation.

"Well, if Feli says it, then it'll be true," the man jeered, grinning widely at me. God I hated that self-satisfied sneer. I shot him a glare but said nothing. "Then I'll be waiting, we'll all be, to see if you can live up to the standard," with that statement the man left without a single goodbye. There it was again, 'we'.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and glared at my idiotic brother. "Why the HELL did you do that?" I groaned. As if everything wasn't hard enough as it was, now I had to surpass my grandfather. I didn't know how the fuck I was going to do that. I already knew that I was a coward. My grandfather was brave, he was cunning and strategic. I'm none of those things. I can barely cook my own pasta. Now I've got to lead this whole fucking organization by myself? It was a nightmare.

Feliciano looked at me apologetically and muttered something inaudible.

I was certain now. I had the whole fucking "family" against me. The only ones on my side were Antonio and Feliciano. I looked grimly down at the unfinished grave; it was only us three now.

"Gramps," I said aloud, partially unaware of doing so. "You really know how to fuck up someone's life, don't you?" I wanted to scream, punch, kick, tear; vent my anger out on anything. But nothing came, no overwhelming urges, only the bitter emptiness that now lay inside of me.

"It'll be okay, Roma," Antonio put a hand on my shoulder. "I know you can do this!"

Feliciano smiled at me. "Don't worry Fratello, we'll be behind you the entire time. You'll be a great boss!"

I couldn't smile at their encouragement; something else was bothering me. I looked up at the graying sky. That was it.

It had begun to rain again.

Damn fucking rain.

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><p><strong>Author's Note 2: Ugh, I usually don't put two author's notes. But I'd love to re-enforce my encouragement on reviewing. I love all reviews and greatly appreciate them. Seriously, it doesn't take too long~ I know you're out there readers!<strong>


	2. Dogs

**Author's Note: Okay, so I'll start off with an apology. I'm so incredibly sorry that I haven't updated anything sooner. I've had absolutely horrible writer's block for the past few weeks and haven't been able to get ANYTHING done because of it. It's downright awful O.o". Anyways! I finally got past my horrible block and produced this chapter. I'd like to thank Silvershadow13 for the help with my title problem, however, me being a total idiot forgot to mention in my desperate cry for help that I meant it to be Italians, as in "there are two Italian people", very specifically two. But thank you for helping anyways ^^. I mentioned last chapter that I'd say why I'm using Romano and not Lovino. Not that it's been brought up, but I'd just like to point it out so that I don't get people asking me ^_^". I'm using Romano because first of all, it's a real Italian name while Lovino isn't... And secondly it just sounds better. So yeah, basically just a personal preference for this particular fic. I actually really liked writing this chapter, it was fun to write. Hope it's not confusing though O.o"... Anyways, enjoy~**

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><p>A dog barked from far off in the distance. It was a big dog, I could tell, probably a Rottweiler or mastiff or some other fucking scary beast. However, I didn't care whether it was a Chihuahua or a pit bull, it had woken me up and that's all that mattered. I sat up and ran a hand through my hair. It was messy from sleeping and I attempted to pat it down even though there was no need to.<p>

That damn dog wouldn't shut up.

The room was pitch black; I couldn't even see my own hand in front of me. I clenched my hand into a fist, looking placidly forward, trying to focus on it.

The dog continued to bark.

I couldn't take it anymore. In an angry motion I threw up the covers. Grabbing the .22 pistol I stowed underneath my pillow I stalked towards my door, flinging it open with a bang and stormed towards the front door. Hearing my commotion, Antonio shuffled out of his room and stared at me in shock. He was wearing only his tomato print boxers and looked drowsy from sleep.

"Roma? What's going on?" he asked, looking confused, rubbing his eyes.

"That... That fucking dog!" I stammered, checking to make sure there were bullets in the gun. My entire body was on fire with annoyance.

"What? A Dog?" Antonio strained to hear the dog barking off in the distance.

"It won't fucking stop barking! I can't take it anymore!" I breathed, opening the door and storming into the cool night air.

"Roma!" cried Antonio, chasing after me. I refused to hear him as I sprinted through the empty streets. The dog continued to bark but I knew I was getting closer. Soon it would all be over. It was then that I saw it: the German shepherd was behind a fence and chained to the wall, it's dark eyes boring towards me as he continued his onslaught of barking. There didn't seem to be anyone around. A perfect chance to finally rid the world of this pest of a dog.

"There you are," I whispered partially to myself as I pointed the pistol at the dog. Threatened, the animal growled darkly at me, baring his teeth towards me. I cocked the gun, my hand shaking tremulously.

"NO ROMA DON'T DO IT!" the six-foot, one hundred forty-five pound man tackled me to the ground with all of his strength. A gunshot rang through the air as my finger slipped and we fell to the ground. It echoed, the single shot bolting into the great expanse of the sky.

The dog had stopped barking, he merely stared at us in curious fear.

"What the FUCK!" I shouted, shoving him off of me in my anger. "Why the fuck did you stop me, Antonio?" I screamed.

"It's just a dog, Roma," panted Antonio, sitting on the ground and regaining his breath. "Don't take your anger out on the dog. I know what you're going through is tough bu-"

"You _know _what I'm going through? _You _know what I'm going through! HOW THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW!" I threw the gun down to the ground, the feeling of the cold metal against my skin made me feel sick. I stared at him, trying to read his expression. "How the fuck do you know what I'm going through?"

Antonio's gaze softened and he looked down at the ground solemnly. "I… I don't know what you're going through. I'm trying to be empathetic," he admitted pitifully.

I snorted. "Don't try to be empathetic with me. You make yourself look like a dumbass when you do," I couldn't help but smile at the insult. Antonio chuckled a bit with me, leaning his head back and staring up at the stars with an awestricken expression.

"But-" Antonio cut himself off and he looked sheepishly down at the ground. "But I _want _to help you, Roma," he mumbled. I turned to him and felt my heart break a bit on the inside at his disheartened expression.

"There's nothing you can do to help me, Antonio," I smiled sadly at the ground. "The family is my responsibility now. That asshole today was right, I need to step up if I want to be anything like gramps," I clenched my fist onto my clothes, wringing out my anger into the fabric.

"You can't listen to what that guy says about you though, Roma. He's just trying to intimidate you," said Antonio softly.

"Maybe that's what I need," I sighed, shrugging. I glanced over at the dog; his vicious features had turned softer. He wasn't so frightening anymore. "Point of the matter is…" I mumbled to myself, standing up.

"E-eh! Where are you going, Roma?" Antonio scrambled up. "I won't let you hurt that dog!" he cried, looking frightened. I glanced over at the Spaniard and rolled my eyes.

"I'm not going to kill him _now_," I explained. "However," I didn't finish my sentence as I threw open the gate to the house. The dog barked meekly at me as I stormed up to the door and pounded my fist into it. "OPEN UP YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" I shouted angrily. I needed to take my anger out on someone and this seemed all too fitting. There was a moment's wait as the sounds of various locks being undone were heard. The door clicked slowly open and the bald head of a man appeared on the other side, the chain still in place.

"Is something the matter?" asked the man, his voice weak and frail. I could tell that he was an old man by the way he spoke. His gray eyes stared into mine in wonder.

"Is this your fucking dog?" I grumbled, pointing towards the beast accusingly. The man's eyes shifted back and forth and he nodded.

"Yeah, that's my dog," he assured, his wrinkled fingers curling around the door.

"Can you tell it to fucking shut up? I can't sleep," I tried to remain calm but it was proving to be a hard task.

"O-oh," the man looked embarrassed. "Well, Julius is a bit… er… hard to handle," mumbled the man.

"I don't fucking care if he's hard to handle. Goddammit, if you don't get him to stop barking I won't hold back in shooting him!" I snapped.

"Whoa whoa!" Antonio pushed me away from the opening as the man's face turned to one of horror as he realized what the gunshot had been only a minute earlier. "Heh heh, I'm sorry about my boss' behavior. He's just a little grumpy from being woken up," he laughed sheepishly.

"Don't fucking block me, Antonio, I need to tell this guy off for ruining my fucking sleep!" I shouted angrily.

Antonio turned to me with a disgruntled look that would be given to a child that was seriously pissing him off. I was momentarily caught off guard by this expression and stopped my outburst, staring at him in shock.

"I didn't know that Julius caused so many troubles, I'm deeply sorry," said the man. "What'd you say your name was again, young man?" he asked. This out-of-the-fucking-blue question made me hesitate. I didn't think this man really needed to know who I was but I shrugged the thought off.

"I'm Romano Vargas, why does it matter?" I grumbled. Without even a hint of a goodbye the door was slammed in our faces. Antonio and I stood there for a moment, stunned at the man's rudeness.

"WHAT THE FUCK, MAN?" I yelled. "Is it _that _much of a trouble for you to train your damn dog!" I complained, pounding my fist on the door.

"G-go away! Leave me alone!" cried the man, he had already finished locking the door.

"Listen I don't know what your fucking problem is. Honestly, I don't fucking care. But if you don't straighten out your dog, I'll put a bullet in it's goddamn head," I growled.

"I can't be seen talking to you! Go away! Take my dog, kill my dog, whatever, just leave me alone!" cried the man. I could envision him cowering in a fetal position, crying his eyes out. It made me feel sick inside.

"Seen by who?" questioned Antonio, leaning towards the door to hear better.

"They'll kill me! If they see me talking to you, Romano Vargas the new head of the Vargas family. They'll _kill_ me!" he sobbed.

"Calm down, man, who's going to kill you?" I grumbled.

"I can't tell you, GO AWAY!" I could hear the stifled cries of the man from behind the door. I shared a confused look with Antonio.

"We can offer protection, if you only tell us wh-"

"GO AWAY!"

"Fuck it," I snapped, storming off of the porch and stalking down the street.

"Wait! R-Roma! Where are you going!" cried Antonio, stumbling after me.

"Home, where does it look like, dumbass?" I grumbled, shoving my hands in my pocket.

"Don't you want to know why that guy's being threatened? What if he ends up dead? Won't it be our fault that we didn't help him?" questioned Antonio.

"I tried to persuade him to tell us, he wasn't going to budge. I don't fucking care as long as his dog doesn't wake me up anymore," I sighed, looking darkly at the ground. "A lot of people are going to die and it's going to be our fault, being in this business, you should know that, Antonio," I whispered, glancing back at him. He looked at me with a solemn expression.

"It just doesn't feel right, leaving him alone," mumbled Antonio, looking upset.

"Don't worry about it," I groaned. "Whatever it is, it's not our problem right now, so we shouldn't make it our problem, got it?" I warned, leveling him a look to further enforce my point. Antonio gulped and nodded.

We finally arrived back at home. I was now totally fucking tired. It couldn't have been past 4:00 in the morning and already this day was as bad as the one before. Walking up the perfectly paved steps, past the sculpted bushes and level grass felt like an eternity in itself. I felt like a damn hypocrite, there I was, telling Antonio not to worry about what the man had said, and now I can't get those same thoughts out of mine. Antonio opened the door for me, looking slightly worried.

"You don't look too good, Romano," he mumbled, locking the door behind him.

"I'm sick of you being in those damn tomato boxers," I hissed, pressing my cool hand on my forehead. _What had he meant by all of that? How is it possible that a stranger I don't even know has already discovered that I'm the new boss? There aren't many conflicting families in this area, so who wouldn't be able to even talk to me? It's all too fucking confusing. _I sat down in the antique suede chair that resided in the living room. Antonio took a seat on the couch, folding his hands on his lap and saying nothing.

"You should get some sleep, Roma," mumbled Antonio after a long minute of silence.

"I don't want to fucking sleep," I growled.

"There's no use thinking about it now, you said so yourself," sighed Antonio.

"I want to be alone," I said, glaring over at him. "And since you obviously can't get the point I'll say it straight: get the fuck out," I said coldly, my words slicing through the air and hitting Antonio straight on. He seemed genuinely hurt by my cruel words and he looked morosely down at his hands before standing up.

"If anything happens, I'll be here, Roma," he said softly.

"Don't give me that bullshit, I already know," I propped my leg on the other and leaned against my hand, staring at the wall. I heard his retreating footsteps and the closing click of his bedroom door. I wanted to figure everything out. The answers were there, I knew they were, but something was missing; something important that I needed to figure out. I wasn't able to consider what that could possibly be for sleep was overcoming me.

The last thing I heard before I slipped into unconsciousness was the distant barking of a dog.


End file.
